The Group Managing Director of Navy Holdings Limited, Rear Admiral Sileranda Lassa, has attributed the lack of maintenance for the Nigerian Navy’s fleet of over 250 naval vessels to insufficient funding and low budgetary allocation.
Lassa made this statement recently at the Nigerian Navy Maritime Discourse on Presidential Fleet Review 2023, which had the theme “Fleet Readiness for National Prosperity.” The event took place at the Admiralty Conference Centre, Naval Dockyard Limited (NDL) in Lagos.
According to Rear Admiral Lassa, an annual budget of approximately N6.9 billion is required to maintain the Navy’s fleet of ships. During a panel discussion, he highlighted the significant challenge posed by inadequate funding in the maritime and defense sectors.
He emphasized that funds are crucial for supporting fleet operations, maintenance, and extending the lifespan of the vessels at sea.
Furthermore, Rear Admiral Lassa pointed out the existing gap in the lifecycle costing and management of Naval ships, noting that ships are often procured without a proper funding plan for their maintenance. He urged the government to reconsider how the Navy is funded and ensure that the lifecycle costing, maintenance, and management of the ships are adequately taken into account.
Another panelist, retired Rear Admiral Michael Ebe, highlighted the vital role of Nigeria’s maritime environment in the country’s national prosperity, particularly with regards to trade.
He emphasized the necessity of maintaining open sea lines of communication for the country’s continued prosperity. Furthermore, he stressed the importance of having readily available naval fleets at all times.
He expressed concern that if the nation’s ships are unable to defend its interests at sea or maintain open sea lines of communication due to any reason, it would jeopardize Nigeria’s national prosperity.
Regarding the way forward, Ebe suggested that the Navy should collaborate with NNPCL (presumably Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited) to construct additional storage facilities of at least 100 million litres at selected locations within all Nigerian Navy operations commands.
In response, Istifanus Gyang, the Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Defence, acknowledged that Nigeria’s main challenge lies in its lack of maintenance culture while commending the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, for upgrading the infrastructure and facilities at the Naval dockyard.
Ajao Adejumo, the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Navy, also voiced his thoughts, highlighting that most countries have shipyards for repairing their vessels. In contrast, Nigeria incurs additional expenses by sending its ships abroad for repairs, surpassing the Navy’s annual budgetary allocation.
According to him, having its own shipyards in Nigeria for shipbuilding and repairs would greatly facilitate the maintenance of vessels in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
He emphasized that this is precisely why the National Assembly is working towards ensuring the prompt assent of the Navy Trust Fund Bill. By doing so, it would significantly contribute to addressing ship maintenance issues and ultimately assist in saving the country from the financial losses incurred due to capital flight.